Nationwide Arena is the site for a divisional matchup as the Columbus Blue Jackets square off against the visiting New York Rangers. The match gets started at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, November 17, and you are able to view the game live on TVA Sports.
New York Rangers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
Columbus comes into the game as the substantial favorite with a moneyline of -145. The line for New York sits at +125, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals (-120 to bet the under, +100 for the over).
Earning moneyline bettors 1.1 units, Columbus is 11-8 straight up (SU) overall this year. That winning percentage, the second-best in the Metropolitan Division in this young season, isn’t too far off from to the 50-32 record the team posted during the 2016-17 season campaign. Of its 19 regular season matches, 10 have gone under the total, while nine have gone over and none have pushed. Thus far, the team is 5-4 SU at home.
The Blue Jackets have converted on just 9.1 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that puts them in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 13th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 81.3 percent of all penalties.
The Blue Jackets, as a collective unit, have been penalized just 2.9 times per game overall this season, 2.4 per game over their last five games total, and 3.4 per game over their last five at home. The team’s had to defend opposition power plays for just 7.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings, in total.
Averaging 28.3 saves per game with a .928 save percentage, Sergei Bobrovsky (10-5-1) has been the primary goalkeeper for Columbus this season. If Columbus decides to give him the evening off, however, the team could turn to Joonas Korpisalo (1-3-3 record, .896 save percentage, 3.27 goals against average).
The Jackets will continue to lean on the leadership out of Artemi Panarin and Seth Jones. Panarin (13 points) has put up three goals and 10 assists and has recorded two or more points in two different games this year. Jones has three goals and nine assists to his credit and has notched at least one point in nine contests.
New York is 9-10 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 19 regular season matches, 12 of its games have gone over the total, while six have gone under and just one has pushed. As an away team so far, the Rangers are 2-4 SU.
The Rangers have scored on 24.6 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s good enough for fifth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 13th overall and it’s successfully killed off 81.3 percent of all penalties.
New York’s players have been penalized 3.9 times per game this season, and 2.8 per game over their past five outings. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays just 7.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Henrik Lundqvist (26.9 saves per game) has been the primary choice in the net for New York. Lundqvist owns an 8-8-2 record, while registering a .904 save percentage and 3.04 goals against average this year.
Leading the offensive attack for the visiting Rangers will be Mika Zibanejad (nine goals, 10 assists) and Kevin Shattenkirk (five goals, 12 assists).
New York Rangers at Columbus Blue Jackets Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Over
Betting Trends:
- The total has gone under in four of Columbus’ last five games.
- Seven of New York’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 5-2 in those games.
